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P L A Y E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Your Name: thu
OOC Journal: dw » eat
Under 18? If yes, what is your age?: over
Email + IM: tittytyphoons@gmail.com
Characters Played at Ataraxion: --
C H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: Skye
Canon: Marvel Cinematic Universe » Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Original or Alternate Universe: Original
Canon Point: 1.13 — "T.R.A.C.K.S."
Number: 084 (RNG if unavailable)
Setting: Earth-199999 » 2014.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. takes place on an Earth where the efforts of serum-induced Captain America helped win World War II against Nazi spin-off Hydra, that Norse gods exist and are technically classified as aliens, a rich billionaire can fly around in a metal suit and gamma radiation will turn you big and green. Although this Earth is similar to our own world (with references including: The Terminator, Facebook, The Hunger Games); here the seemingly unreal has become real due to an advanced level of science and technology. The show is set after the wonders of the 'Battle of New York' (aka The Avengers) and superheroes with superpowers have now become public knowledge with the aftermath being handled by government organization S.H.I.E.L.D. It is unknown to the public that prior to the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D. was their very first line of defense for the Chitauri invasion but S.H.I.E.L.D. is a big fan of keeping secrets. The main one that drives the series into existence is the fact that Agent Phillip Coulson survived. As a newly revived Coulson, he assembles a specialized team of his own.
The team then spends most of their days investigating and solving the strange fringe-related mysteries mostly resulting from the aftermaths of the various Marvel superheros franchises (e.g. Extremis from Iron Man 3, Hydra weaponizing Gamma radiation from Captain America: The First Avenger, an Asgardian Berserker staff from Thor 2: The Dark World and dealing with Asgardians and Hydra members in general, etc.) Their main enemy is the Centipede project spearheaded by a mysterious figure known as 'The Clairvoyant'. But due to the fact that telepaths, telekinetics and thus clairvoyants have yet been proven to exist (since X-Men is not a part of the MCU), it is revealed that their enemy is something else entirely.
History:
the 0-8-4.
An 0-8-4, under the S.H.I.E.L.D. playbook, is defined as 'an object of unknown origin'. In 1984, a senior agent calls into S.H.I.E.L.D. having found an 0-8-4 in the Hunan Provenience of China. They said the whole village had died trying to protect it. S.H.I.E.L.D. sends in a five-person backup team which included rookie agents Richard Lumley and Linda Avery. What they find is the senior agent shot in the neck, dead from blood loss and holding an infant in his arms. Lumley and Avery are relieved to find however that the baby hadn't shared the same fate but merely asleep, cradled in the agent's arms and covered in blood. They then realize that everyone died to protect her because she was the 0-8-4. That 0-8-4 would later then turn out to be Skye. When they helicopter out of China, they return to America with Skye in tow. They drop Skye at St. Agnes orphanage but that's when the agents start getting crossed off, tortured and eliminated. But before whoever was targeting them could get to Skye, Avery decides to erase whatever information they're retrieved on her from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Falsifying her own credentials, Avery manages to fake a level 8 clearance in order to create a protocol that would have the foster care system move Skye from family to family every few months to ensure her safety. Just as Avery manages to accomplish this, she too is then crossed off.
Having known none of this growing up, Skye's childhood became an unpleasant one. The orphanage intimidated her as some of the nuns would threaten punishment via God's wrath but it was still somewhat capable of comfort as others told her that God was love. While she grew used to the orphanage, she wanted to belong to a family she could call her own. She wanted, like any child, to be loved. After two unsuccessful placements (again, not knowing that she had to be brought back), Skye tried her hardest to make family life work with the third. When she was nine she was taken in by the Brody's. Skye wanted so desperately for them to like her that she even called the woman who raised her at the time 'mom'. It was something she's never called anyone before but she wanted to try it. She wanted them to like her and to make them think that she accepted them, she wanted it so much that she risked calling Mrs. Brody something that might not have been reciprocated. And unfortunately, it wasn't. Whether she said meaningful words to them, it didn't seem to matter. Skye was inevitably returned to the orphanage, deemed a 'bad fit' and it scarred her. No matter what she did, she was always going to be a 'bad fit'. No matter how badly she wanted things, it would always be out of reach. So Skye dedicates the rest of her life to search for her parents and to know exactly why she's a 'bad fit'.
At an unknown point in time, Skye leaves the orphanage and changes the name they give her (Mary Sue Poots) into the one she currently goes by. She drops out of high school and picks up computer hacking along the way. Computer science is Skye's talent and she hones it into the skill she'd come to rely upon most as it is the most useful in helping to find information on her past. But no matter how many servers she hacks, how many files she manages to access, there is nothing for Skye to find. The only document she has about herself was redacted by S.H.I.E.L.D. Although she has no idea that the lack of information was to save her from the unknown assailant that threatened to eliminate her, Skye dedicates the rest of life to exposing whatever she can about S.H.I.E.L.D. which is why she turns to the Rising Tide.
the rising tide.
Not being able to uncover any information, Skye devotes herself to the international hacker activist (hacktivist for short) organization, the Rising Tide. It stands for all of Skye's ideals, believing that information should be freely accessible not regulated and restricted. But Skye doesn't find this magical little organization on her own.
Skye meets Miles Lydon sometime in Texas and they become romantically involved. While Miles becomes her boyfriend for a long while, Skye also seems him as something of a hacking mentor more notorious in the field than she is. Although Miles proclaims that he taught her everything she knows, Skye rebuffs him which indicates that she had a foundation of computer skills before she met him. But Miles is her introduction to the Rising Tide as well as to the mindset of being anti-bureaucracy and anti-government. Swept up in his manifestos that the government shouldn't hold a monopoly on information or infringe on people's personal rights to get whatever it is they need, Skye believes S.H.I.E.L.D. to be the most guilty of this. Due to the fact that they went at great lengths to hide her personal history it leads to question like what else could they be hiding from the people they're meant to protect?
But Skye also mentions that she meets Miles when he was screwed up and she... a lot, so it stands to reason that their activities together didn't just involving hacking and posting S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets on their blog for everyone to see. She's done some bad things in her life. Quinn speculates that Skye might have a criminal history and Skye confirms his assumption by telling him that she probably does have a valid arrest warrant somewhere. She's also let slip that she's deleted government files on herself as a hacker it makes sense that she would erase her tracks but it's unclear if she's hoping to hide herself for past crimes or if she's simply uncomfortable with the government keeping tabs on her. Skye may be a Rising Tide hacktivist and believes herself to be a good guy but she's clearly done some terrible things in the past.
However, not much else about Skye's history is revealed. Other than that Skye would later move from Austin to Los Angeles, buy a van that doubles as her house and leech off some café's free WiFi from parking in the neighboring alleyway.
Fast-forward to aftermath of the 'Battle of New York' where aliens, magic portals and superheroes become public knowledge. Having been on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s trail for as long as she can remember, Skye becomes quite ecstatic that her conspiracy theories can no longer be denied. The Rising Tide grows in momentum now that there is finally an event so big not even S.H.I.E.L.D. can cover it up. The world is ready to take on the truth, no longer are they blind to the wonders around them. Skye refuses to be silenced so when she meets her first super-powered phenomena in Mike Peterson, she is determined to turn him into a man to be admired instead of a S.H.I.E.L.D. test subject that would be probed in dark, unsuspecting places.
When Mike saves a woman from a burning building, able to jump from the highest story and back onto the ground without hurting himself, Skye is quick to consider him a hero. After videoing his unnatural and totally awesome feat (which is the biggest hit since the cat with vertigo), Skye makes sure S.H.I.E.L.D know she's onto them. She shows her hand and hacks into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s RSA implementation which would later put her on their radar. In any case, despite Mike's hesitance to believe he's a hero because some spunky girl told her she thought of him as one, Skye does her best to protect him from S.H.I.E.L.D. without needing his say so. It is arguably not the most effective or productive tactic but Skye firmly believes she can do more good for him than a bunch of men in dark suits.
However Mike spirals, his powers becoming uncontrollable and cause him to be overly aggressive and agitated. As he is refused his old factory job despite his return to health, he violently lashes out and S.H.I.E.L.D. finally steps in to confront the one person that has been a constant interference in their searches for him. Just as Skye's about to end a pretty spectacular speech about the Rising Tide rising up against S.H.I.E.L.D. they bust her mid-way, put a bag over her head and take her on a surprise trip to the Bus which is not a bus with four wheels that gets driven on land but a big-ass freaking plane.
Her interrogation, handled by agents Phillip Coulson and Grant Ward, ends... fairly well as both parties get what they want out of the other. Skye implies that she wanted to get caught and given her lifelong pursuit of her family, it stands to reason she's telling the truth about that. But Skye refuses to give them any information she has on Mike saying that they covered up Thor in New Mexico, Project Pegasus and of course, Centipede. The last one earns a confused look and she realizes that neither of them have any idea what she's referring to. Although she attempts to argue endlessly with both, Coulson puts an end it to by threatening the use truth serum on her before stabbing the needle into Ward. It's a move that wins her over and along with her questioning of Ward, she finds herself much more willing to cooperate. However, Skye does actually cooperate when Mike is shown to destroy a factory demonstrating to Skye that the longer she holds out, the more likely Mike will end up hurting other people and himself. After Coulson's team attempts to unscramble the security footage they had retrieved at the scene of the previous fire, Skye offers her assistance. She tells them she'll be able to provide the team with audio files that she had previously captured. The only catch is that she needs to be returned to her van as her equipment can only be encrypted due to a GPS setting tie-in. Coulson agrees to her terms and has Melinda May accompany her. But while Skye is trying to plan her escape, neither women expect Mike to appears. He knocks out May by throwing her against the wall and forces himself into Skye's van with his son where he demands that she drives.
From there, Mike has Skye take them to Union Station and has her delete his files so that he can escape without being followed. Purposely, Skye makes sure that the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents can trace her location through the hack. Although that's successful, the rest of the rescue goes awry and Mike plows down the door of her van before furiously pulling her into the station. Skye manages to buy herself some time by kicking a bunch of angry-looking dudes in the groin but only a little. Mike's son finds Coulson and he redirects him to the police but Mike finds Skye and he leads her to the top story of the station. Skye doesn't last as a hostage for long as Mike is shot off the railing by one of Centipede's men. He survives, makes a speech about how inferior man is to a super and Coulson calms his down before he is forcefully stabilized with a non-lethal dosage of dendrotoxin to the head.
The experience of nearly dying but managing to save people and also making a considerable difference in Mike's life for the better, changes Skye's perception on how she perceives S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson also impressed by ability to find Mike and her constant infuriating of S.H.I.E.L.D. computer securities, sees the limitless potential in her and offers her a place on his specialized task force. Skye acts hesitant, tells Coulson that he really needs to show her something new if he wants her on a side. So with Lola, the old-fashioned car she previously mocked, Coulson shows Skye something she hasn't seen before and they get called upon to help identity an '0-8-4' in Peru. Coulson promised her front row seats to the craziest show in town and Skye finds herself going along for the ride... in a real life hovercar.
the strategic homeland intervention, enforcement and logistics division.
Their first mission, well, her first mission with Coulson's team is a disaster. After discovering an '0-8-4' in Peru, Skye finds her ability as a consultant to be severely lacking and chemistry with the team non-existent. Ward doesn't get along with her, unsurprisingly, and constantly questions what exactly does she hope to achieve by tagging along as well as the appropriateness of her political values. Rebels being kick-ass, Skye says, awesome. Yeah, Ward replies, senseless war is awesome. Despite being smart, Skye also feels unwanted by the two prodigal scientists, Fitz-Simmons who stare at her blankly when she tries to give them her input. Not even Coulson finds himself tolerating her when she's clearly uncomfortable with not explaining the situation to the Peruvian citizens especially as they've been suffering from political oppression due to the recent mining laws and the onslaught of rebels. Her presences proves to be a constant source of contention and discomfort which make Skye obviously aware that she isn't wanted. She doesn't feel like part of the team but she later realizes that no one else does either.
When Coulson's previous ally, Camilla Reyes, betrays him on the bus; they put the team hostage in the hangar and Reyes notes that his team is a horrible mismatch of personalities and abilities. Coulson, however, tells her that they've finally given them something they can unify over: a common enemy. Prior to their capture Skye had trying to explain why she thought the rebels were good people and tells Ward about how important being part of the solution is and that it's not necessary to have all the answers. Ward alludes to this conversation when they're all tied up to motivate the team to come up with an elaborate escape and rescue plan. The plan gives everyone a part to play; it involves May dislocating her wrists, Fitz blowing up a hole in the plane using the 0-8-4 they retrieved, Simmons disarming it, Ward beating up the other guards and Skye reading the safety manual. Everyone has their part to play and their mission is a success. Skye's initiative leads Ward to rethink his stance on her and her potential to become valuable asset which leads May to suggest that he become her supervising officer (S.O.) to which he agrees. But their growing trust in Skye is misguided and when they land in the Slingshot to rocket the 0-8-4 into space, Skye receives a text from the Rising Tide asking if she's still on board with compromising S.H.I.E.L.D. to which she responds with an "I'm in".
While Skye is all for becoming a field agent like Coulson, she lacks the commitment and it shows in her training sessions with her newly assigned S.O. Although the training required is extensive, she doesn't show any of the enthusiasm to indicate she won't wash out and she cracks joke instead of focusing all the energy she can into her workouts. It grates Ward's nerves but Coulson explains she's more inclined to goof off because she can't connect with him. During another session, Ward seems to be at his wit's end when Skye forgets the next step in disarming someone armed with a gun. He asks her how she can be so unfocused yet somehow manage to pick up computer science to which she answers that it comes naturally to her. Unlike Ward, she's not naturally good at being whatever that he is... a Nazi robot that's good a beating up people. And then Ward tries to connect her on a personal level, telling her that he's had to work hard to get where he was today. That his defining moment came because his brother would beat the crap out of him and his younger brother over something inane and unwarranted like eating a piece of his birthday cake. After finally seeing a glimpse of the human underneath, Skye apologizes and they continue the session, Ward still bitter at having to reveal that much to get her to become a little more serious.
Not being an official agent yet has its advantages and Skye is sent on her first (unauthorized) solo mission to save Dr. Hall from billionaire philanthropist Ian Quinn. Upon meeting him, Quinn is impressed with her ability to hack into the encrypted back channels to get an invitation for his party as well as her stance on the misuse of government powers wanting to know everyone's secrets but keeping a huge closet of their own. Skye merely listens and when he is called to make a similar speech to his guests, she slips away in order to find a spot with internet connection so that the agents on the Bus can hack into Quinn's servers. Quinn catches her in the act and in a bold move she tells him that S.H.I.E.L.D. is spying on him through her. However, she is still committed to the mission even when Quinn reveals that S.H.I.E.L.D. often manipulates those who have been abandoned by society but are extremely talented into working for them, that she fits their modus operandi on new recruits. Skye ignores that and places down her compact which when it turns green; allow Fitz, Simmons and May to do what they need.
When Quinn realized he's been tricke;, he presses one hand on her throat, pushes her against the wall, pulls a gun with the other and asks her why she betrayed him. He had assumed that since she was a member of the Rising Tide, that she understood that S.H.I.E.L.D. were the real bad guys, that they were Big Brother. They were intent on disallowing people freedom of choice. And Skye ties in what Ward has previously said to her, that they’re the nice big brother who stands up for his little brother and she rambles on with that analogy before finally exclaiming that Quinn kidnapped a person which made him the bad guy in this scenario. In attempt to defend himself, he lets her go and when the room rumbles, she is able to utilize her previous training session and disarm him. But what she isn't able to do is shoot him so Skye escapes by jumping out the window and landing into the pool. Her improvised plan doesn't account for fighting off any guards that come her way, but Ward gets to her in time and they are able to find Coulson.
The mission, now completed, proves to be Skye's defining moment. That while she was good, she was woefully unprepared for a lot of things. Ward recognizing her change in focus, gets to hear some of her personal story in exchange for having told his earlier. That in the past Skye used to try desperately hard to get the things she wanted but she never could so in an effort to protect herself, she stopped trying. But it's been a long time since she's wanted something this bad and a long time since she's wanted to prove herself. So this time she'll get what she wants even if it kills her.
Since Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is an ensemble show, the story doesn't always focus on Skye. It focuses on the other characters and illustrates her growing relationship with them. When the team focus on finding Akela Amador, ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent turned jewel thief and murderer, they learn they're on the hunt because Coulson was the one who trained her and he feels responsible. Skye, despite not innately liking her because she feels a little jealous that the position of Coulson's first protégé has already been taken, comforts him by telling him that he has good instincts. That the risk he's taken on by taking a chance with her was the right choice and that she'll support him because he took a chance on her. Skye also lets him take refuge in her van with her, a secret hiding spot between only the two of them.
But despite the deep gratefulness she holds towards him, when a Rising Tide hacktivist is the main suspect for leaking information on the whereabouts of pyrokinetic magician Chan Ho Yin, doubt is cast on her again. Ward and Coulson however, having noticed a considerable change are the first to defend her. Ward especially when Coulson has to ask her questions like doesn't being on the Bus make it easier for her to hack them? Skye proves her innocence by finding the person responsible, a Miles Lydon who even Fitz-Simmons can recognize.
When they make their way to Austin, Skye texts Miles that S.H.I.E.L.D. is onto them and he manages to escape at a traffic intersection. Waiting for him when he returns home is Skye, furious that he let himself get caught by her. That if her team knew where she was then the search for her past would all be for nothing. Miles, however, is only amused by her anger with him which leads to him telling her that he's missed her and the two end up having sex. When they're done, they talk more candidly about Skye being their inside man but she tells him that S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't as bad as she thought they be. That when Miles asks for a glimpse of S.H.I.E.L.D. life, she tells him "that's classified." As she searches for her top, she gets to the door only to find May standing there, holding it out for her.
The team arrive at Miles apartment, quietly vehement with Skye for not only assisting a suspect and obstructing their investigation but prioritizing her Rising Tide fling over them. Skye tries to defend herself and Miles, earnestly claiming that she had only wanted to protect him because she's known him for so long and that she hadn't been working with him. As they're held prisoner in the interrogation room, Miles starts to point out the lack of due process and Skye replies that they don't have time for that. Confused by her defense of them, Skye points out that the longer they spend on questioning them the less chance they have on successfully rescuing Chan. Her conversation with Miles now shows that her alliance lies with S.H.I.E.L.D. and that she's begun to understand the good in their methods.
Ward returns to the interrogation room and shows Skyes the checks Miles received, all totaling up to a million dollars. Skye wanting to give Miles a chance asks him to explain what he had to do in order to receive that kind of money and he confesses that he sold S.H.I.E.L.D. information to a wealthy girl in a flower dress. That infuriates Skye and she tells him that no one with good intentions would pay him that amount. Miles tries to defend himself, saying that he had taken every precaution, that when he researched his benefactor all he found was that they were simply an eco-research facility on centipedes and... what's more harmless than that?
Skye still angry with Miles questions the values he had instilled in her. How could he believe in these things when he was even a bigger sell-out than she was? She risked everything for him and it turns out he really was a dumbass. The betrayal she feels in Miles is the same as the team's in her so when they fail at rescuing Chang but are able to blow up the facility, it's a hollow victory. To punish Miles they give a tracking bracelet to Miles that alerts S.H.I.E.L.D. of his every moment and would make computer usage difficult. Later, they do the same to Skye.
Coulson asks her for her reason on being on the Bus and that she needs to stop lying if she even wants to stay. Knowing now that she wants to be a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. with Coulson and the rest of the team, she reveals her true intentions of having joined. She gives him an SD card compiled with everything she's found about her parents and herself, the reasons why she became a hacker and joined the Rising Tide but there isn't much except a single redacted document. Coulson finally understanding her motivations promises to help but Skye has to reprove her worth if she is really intent on staying. For now, she's under house arrest and isn't able to do any sort of hacking unless it's approved by them.
Skye tries her best with these terms. She follows Ward's orders obediently but although everyone had forgiven her by now, Ward hadn't. While she doesn't want to invite the comparisons, Skye tells Fitz that she doesn't understand him like she does with Miles. That Miles and her were on the same wavelength and she didn't have to deal with any passive aggressiveness. Fitz, Jemma and Skye then bond on how difficult and pedantic Ward is especially when he shows off his quick draw with the newly modified Night-Night gun and comments that it's an ounce too heavy. Although Skye hasn't had the chance yet to really bond with the scientists, she finds them much easier to talk to considering they're more intellects than fighters and closer to her in age. She also finds their Ward impressions spot-on.
Although Skye continues to earn some pretty mean comments from Ward, they repair their relationship a little when Simmons is infected with a Chiturain virus. Unable to do anything to help her, Ward confesses how much easier it is to direct his hate onto a person rather than on something he can't protect them from which again, gives Skye insight to Ward's constant desire to protect everyone from everything. In this situation, Skye feels the same way so she accepts it when he tells her that if worse comes to worse they have to be prepared. However, Simmons is able to cure herself and it comes as a great relief to Skye who hugs her tightly when she returns to the Bus (after having skydived out of it...). They may not have been close but Skye is grateful that she hadn't lost her.
Simmons and Skye become closer friends when Skye finally visits the Hub. Although the environment doesn't rub off on her well. The overwhelming bureaucracy and the fact that Coulson is able to ignore her questions because she doesn't have the clearance for it make her miss the way they do things on the Bus. Skye also doesn't miss an opportunity to ask Coulson about searching for information on her parents to which Coulson replies he doesn't have time for. As Fitz and Ward are sent off on a mission, Simmons is extremely worried for him and Skye finds herself feeling the same. There's something inherently not right when they aren't allowed to sit-in on their mission and being told she isn't privy to information because she doesn't have the clearance makes her antsy. After persuading the vulnerable Simmons, she convinces her that they need to get answers even if they have to bypass the rules. Simmons not being a competent sidekick as she awkwardly tries to lie her way out the situation before shooting a superior with the Night-Night gun still manages to do her part regardless and Skye has her tell May about their rebelliousness. With all of S.H.I.E.L.D's information at her disposal Skye is more than tempted to ignore her current mission in order to search for parents, but she prioritizes Fitz and Ward over herself and learns that there is no extraction team in place for them.
Furious, she confronts Coulson who on learning of her disobedience is just as furious. On the bus, her outside of the box thinking was fine but this is the Hub. Skye's inability to the trust the system and her reckless access to information that she has no context for could jeopardize all the agents that are currently risking their lives. But Skye argues that she did trust the system and that that trust is what cost them, not Skye. Learning that there is no extraction in place, Skye, Jemma and May become their extraction team and Coulson having confronted the mission's coordinator Victoria Hand helps out too.
Once they return to the Bus, Coulson reveals that he had been digging up on Skye's background. He tells her that a female S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was the one to drop her off at the orphanage and he apologizes for not being able to find out more. Skye, grateful, hugs him. He didn't need to apologize because that's more than she's known about her life previously. While May later asks Coulson if he told her everything, he tells her that he told the truth thus indicating that they know more than they're willing to tell her.
The next few missions are, again, not focused on her. When a group of Norse-pagan haters find a Berserker staff, the team are sent to consult with Professor Elliot Randolph well as to find the rest of the staff. Believing it to be under a church built upon ruins after ruins near the Sicilian university, Skye and Ward are sent in to search for it. Ward is able to find the professor holding the staff and in his attempts to retrieve in, he sees memories of his past as a child. The staff makes whoever holds it more aggressive by forcing them to recall painful events. When they return to the Bus, Skye attempts to help, offers to listen to whatever it is he saw and Ward lashes out at all of them. Ward accuses her of talking too much. That all she ever does is talk because she likes to listen to the sound of her own voice. When the effects wear off, Ward apologizes. Skye forgives him and tells him that if ever needs her to listen, she'll always be around for him.
Skye more or less offers the same to May who, when the group is assigned to a girl exhibiting telekinetic powers, shoots her unconscious before they can welcome her. May has always been pragmatic and stoic but Skye finds her mistreatment of Hannah overly callous. Skye feels protective of the girl especially with May around who seems eager to view Hannah as the guilty party when she's clearly the victim. May and Skye's people skills are polar opposites and before Skye tries to regard May with similar indifference, the other agents tell her to be more considerate. Skye doesn't feel she needs to at first but they explain to her the story on how May became 'the Cavalry'. How May used to be warm but the events at Bahrain changed her completely. Skye realizes that Coulson hopes that one day that side of May returns and she finds herself thinking that she wants the same. Especially since Coulson tells her that he's roped May in on their search for Skye's parents.
Skye is overly eager with her search, drawing up files of every female agent that could have been responsible for taking her to the orphanage. Coulson makes an idle comment if Skye thinks the person she's looking for is her 'mom' to which Skye repeats the word whimsically. Coulson notably feels that her search will simply lead her to answers she won't like so he tries unsuccessfully to have her ease up on the search. As the team make progress on their investigation for Centipede, getting leads on a military strategist named Po and putting a face and name to the girl in the flower dress, Skye attempts to consult May about her personal investigation. But May's lack of enthusiasm and annoyance at Skye's lack of professionalism create a point of conflict for them. Although Skye proves that she can multitask, balancing out searching for Po and Raina while also compiling a list of possible female agents that could have taken her to the orphanage; May finds she's the one who's starting to find it difficult to separate work and play so she finally snaps at Skye. She tells her that the mission should be her focus not the search for her parents. Skye disappointed with herself does as she's told after she's been brought to tears and rearranges her priorities.
Mike Peterson having been situated in the academy after successfully stabilizing the Extremis inside him, assists on the mission. With his super strength he is able to take down the other super soldiers Centipede has under their control. But their mission proves to be unsuccessful as Centipede kills off the defeated soldiers before the agents can interrogate them. With Mike focuses on becoming stronger and having talked to Coulson about the importance on family bonds, he contacts the son he had ignored because he was ashamed of his actions at Union Station. But Centipede uses the first time Mike makes contact with him to their advantage. Raina strikes a deal in order to get his son back. What Mike tells Coulson's team is that they want him in exchange for his son but it's only when Mike has his son returned to him on the bridge that he reveals that the person they wanted was Coulson. As they prepare to take Coulson away, Mike leaves his son with Skye before turning back to rescue him.
Cue explosions.
Skye screams, afraid that Coulson had died especially as the car he was escorted is set aflame. But she notices a helicopter above them and it escapes, Ward unable to shooting it down because they shot him first.
Victora Hand returns to replace Coulson's authority on the Bus but her presence only making the atmosphere more tense. Ward finds her interrogation techniques too passive, Fitz annoyed by the overwhelming number of agents, Jemma and May find themselves not minding much but their priorities still remaining on Coulson, and Skye who is the most uncomfortable and out of place. Skye gets Victoria's attention by hacking the servers during a board meeting but Victoria turns to May for her advice, asking if she should let Skye help on the Bus and to do what she suggests in following the money trail but May tells her she shouldn't. That she is no help to them on the Bus. Both Skye and Ward feel as if May has betrayed her but later May points out the distinctions in her words, that she is no help while on the bus but will be more helpful free from agents looming over her. The rest of the team make their assistance to Skye a little more obvious, giving her an untraceable satellite phone that can only be used once and telling her that she has exactly twelve minutes before agents send her away for debriefing.
Skye uses this opportunity wisely and finds that Vanchat's (an expert in alien goods) financial records lead to Lloyd Rathman (an intermediary) and she knows from there, she can find Raina. Skye takes his car for a joy drive, crashes it, calls for roadside assistance to deliver her to his home. Pretending to be the police, Skye calls Rathman's assistant to tell him that his stolen car has been returned. But Rathman doesn't come home to the police, what he comes home to is Skye disguised as May who threatens him to assist her or she'll have him arrested. Rathman plays along and turns on the silent alarm to call upon the real police. But Skye now more used to disarming men with guns proves to be capable when they hold her at gunpoint and she is able to flip them over, turning the tables back around in her favor again. She ties up the policeman and when she realizes Rathman is not as computer minded as she had hoped him to be, she calls upon one of her hostages to do the rest. They trace back Raina's purchase to facility in the Mojave Desert and Skye contacts the team, making her way there in a Lamborghini she's persuaded Rathman to give her. Skye's skills as an agents have greatly improved and she is able to find Coulson when a team of agents could not.
When Skye arrives, the team manage to make it in time too and drive into a super soldier that had been starting chase her. As they fight against Raina's men, Skye hears Coulson scream and she makes her way to him. What she finds is Coulson hooked up to a machine in pain with Raina. Raina tries to explain that they needed him to relive the memories he's forgotten, that he needs to know how he was revive but Skye punches her in the face before she can finish. Skye tries to calm a hysterical Coulson down who is constantly repeating "let me die!" before May pulls the plugs out and the machine powers off. After they rescue Coulson, he tells her what he was able to recall, that S.H.I.E.L.D. manipulated him and that they brought him back to life when he was pleading for the mercy of death. Given her considerable effort, however, he thanks her and decides that it's time he remove the tracking bracelet which is so easily done that Skye's left to stand there stunned.
With Coulson back where he rightly belongs, the team split for two missions. Skye, Ward, Fitz and Simmons heading off to S.H.I.E.L.D. academy or what Skye refers to as S.H.I.E.L.D. Hogwarts while Coulson and May go off on their own to find Agent Lumley. As Coulson is now disillusioned by S.H.I.E.L.D. he is motivated to find answers for Skye. Meanwhile, Skye gets a glimpse of the infamous S.H.I.E.L.D. academy and Ward takes her to the facility's obligitary memorial site where she touches upon the names of the fallen S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. The parts that are crucial to Skye's development however remain with Coulson and May as they learn of her past and the drastic situations those involved had found themselves in. When they return, Skye notices the difference in Coulson and she isn't able to ignore his disappearance. Although he had promised May that he would keep her in the dark, he chooses not to. He no longer wishes to play by S.H.I.E.L.D. rules and manipulate people. After he tells Skye, she weeps at the news but to their relief, she isn't completely saddened by it. Skye is relieved to finally get the lifelong answers she's been looking for so when she returns to the Academy, she graces her hand over the name, Linda Avery.
Now knowing who to be thankful for and that S.H.I.E.L.D. had always been there to protect her, Skye becomes an even more self-realized agent. Ward notes that she's more focused and she further shows that determination on their Italian train mission. Skye is eager to complete the mission so when she and Fitz lose communication with the rest of the team, she has no intention to stop. Even when Simmons saves them both by taking a dendrotoxion grenade Steve Rogers style, they leave her a Night-Night gun to protect herself with once she awakens. As the train stops abruptly, Skye notices Quinn outside from the window. She convinces Fitz to follow them and later she separates from him, telling him that stopping him is their top priority and what Coulson would have wanted.
But her determination only serves to makes her headstrong and she becomes vulnerable. After finding Quinn, he shows her the presumed to be dead Mike Peterson, disfigured and in pain. With robot limbs to replace the ones that were exploded off, Mike is not the man she remembered. Quinn tells him to shoot Skye but he refuses telling him those weren't his orders. But even if they weren't Mike, they're Quinn's so he takes the initiative and does what he hadn't been able to do in Malta. Quinn tells her that S.H.I.E.L.D. really needs to stop sending her to him without backup. He shoots her twice in the stomach and leaves her to die, helpless and alone.
This is when she appears on the Tranquility.
Personality:
A self-proclaimed hacktivist, Skye believes in the 'democratization of information' and the 'freedom of knowledge'. She believes that knowing something should be a right, not a privilege and that asking questions can't simply be answered with "that's classified." Governments are meant to protect people, sure. Skye will give them that. But keeping them in the dark? Shielding them from the truth that aliens and super powered people roam the Earth? That sure as hell doesn't bode well with her and she means to do something about it.
So obviously joining S.H.I.E.L.D. (the most bureaucratic of all the government organizations) as a consultant makes a whole lot of sense... or maybe not. But she has good reasons for the change of allegiances.
While S.H.I.E.L.D. lives off of confidentiality reports and protocols, they do share something important with Skye... and that's the desire to protect the greater good from threats not of this world. Coulson recognizes that desire in Skye as well as her overwhelming potential to become an essential asset. Her hacking skills are the best he's ever seen and she has the street smarts (read: people skills) to give insight where highly trained agents, who were all taught to think alike, can't. Skye may be a wildcard but it's her differences that make her special and she does have more than just mad computer skills to offer to the table. Thanks also to her perky attitude and over-enthusiasm for all things super, Skye seems like an ordinary civilian ready to hitch a ride on the crazy bus. But what Coulson is willing to overlook that the rest of her team isn't, is that her ties to the Rising Tide prove a risk. His confidence in his recruitment skills blinds him from the obvious and Skye unfortunately betrays his trust.❝ Usually one person doesn't have the solution but... a hundred people with one percent of the solution? That'll get it done. I think that's beautiful. Pieces solving a puzzle.❞
S.H.I.E.L.D. may be nobler than she expected and may not be made up completely of overly-aggressive yes-men, but some part of her still remains loyal to the Rising Tide. Just as she takes refuge in her van parked in the Bus, Skye holds whatever bonds she still has very closely. The Rising Tide were her family; they were the first home that made her feel that she belonged. She was one part of their solution and that made her feel welcomed. Although S.H.I.E.L.D. would later provide her a more real bond, early in the series, she had yet to fully commit herself to them. Her ideals conflicted with theirs and she thought she wouldn't ever really belong as part of their team. Skye mentions that she's hesitant to become a member of Coulson's specialized crew because she doesn't play well with others but that's untrue. Skye desires companionship more than anyone else and she is what pull Coulson's unorthodox team together. But it's a combination of being unable to trust the system and the slew of abandonment issues that have stemmed from her childhood that make her initially unfit for the S.H.I.E.L.D. lifestyle.
Ward tells her that there comes a time that she must commit herself, that there comes the 'defining moment'. It is implied that Skye's is when she is sent on her first mission, risking her life to foil the bad guys. This event is when when she becomes self-aware of her priorities and knows she wants more of the action. It's a defining moment, most definitely, but not as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Skye has many moments after that shape her and her priorities. Ironically, it's only after Skye betrays the team that she becomes more integral and her abilities as shine through. Her quick thinking becomes essential as is her desire to protect everyone on her team. Having gained something she didn't she know she wanted, makes the thought of losing it all the more painful and Skye focuses on learning to become a better agent to make sure that never happens again.❝ Hoping for something and losing it hurts more than never hoping for anything.❞
Many characters have accused Skye of being too forgiving and unflappable, that there are certain things she should be mad or sad about especially since none of them took her disloyalty well. When Grant apologizes for his undeserved anger towards her, she tells him it's not his fault and when Coulson tells her that she was brought back to life thanks to alien goop, she's grateful. Both are more offended than she is when she takes the bad news well, but Skye knows her feelings. Neither of those situations are anything worth getting her worked up or depressed. But she isn't optimistic all the time. There are things to don't slide off her back or leave her unfazed and that happens when May deflects some of her conflicting personal feelings for Grant onto Skye that. She tells her that she needs to stop pestering her and Coulson about the search for her parents and that if she can't separate her personal feelings from her missions then she'd do well to get off the Bus. Being given that ultimatum is what causes her go back to her room, tear up all her findings and cry. Apologies for something you can't control and being brought to life is nothing she needs to get emotional over but after searching for answers of her past for so long and getting so close only to be shut down? Yeah, that she doesn't take so well. Skye wants to know everything about her past, bad, so it cuts deep when it feels like it's slipping from her fingertips.❝ Her whole life she thought she wasn't wanted. That she didn't belong. That every family that took her in didn't want her to stay, didn't care. But all that time it was S.H.I.E.L.D. protecting her. Looking after her. That's what she took away from the story. Not the family she'll never have but the one she's always had. You know, I'm telling her something that could destroy her faith in humanity and somehow she manages to repair a little peace of mind.❞
But once she knows, once she learns the nature of her origins; Skye cries tears of both sadness and relief. May and Coulson both assumed that if she learned of what had happened then it'd destroy her but it hadn't. Living her entire life without ever knowing anything was the source of her pain so staying true her to beliefs, the truth was able to give her a sense of unburdening relief. She despised S.H.I.E.L.D. for hiding everything about her but after learning that it was to protect her, that S.H.I.E.L.D. agents died to save her? It’s guilt inducing, of course, but that meant she owed them a debt of gratitude that could never be fulfilled unless she became an outstanding agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. herself.
However, this drive has motivated her to take on more risks and combined with her natural impulsiveness, places her in a position of precarious danger. Skye is self-aware of the fact that she often makes rash decisions without thinking them through and 'freaking out after the fact'. Many of her teammates have also noted that once Skye sets on her mind on something, it's impossible to get in her way. However, Skye is more contemplative than she lets people believe. Although she knows her choices are risky, she makes them anyway for the sake of a much larger goal such as joining S.H.I.E.L.D. to learn more about her past and confronting Ian Quinn by herself after being separated from the majority of her teams. She knows that the first choice that pops in her head is probably the craziest one but if it's the one that has to be made then she'll choose it every time no matter the consequences. Even if those consequences cost her her life, devastating the team she's learned to treasure.
Save for Coulson, Skye initially had strained relationships with everyone in his specialized task force. Ward, who is more robot than man, has the most conflicting relationship with Skye especially since he believes her to be a pot-stirrer that takes no responsibility for actions. His obedience to the system puts them in stark contrast with one another, Skye being a notorious rule-breaker and Ward a rule-follower. But rule-following has made him disciplined and focused which is exactly what Skye needs in a supervising officer and a mentor. While it is later implied that Ward feels more like a romantic S.O. and not just a platonic... S.O. after the Hub is overtaken by Hydra agents, Skye kisses him as a "we're-going-to-die-so-might-as-well" gesture returning some of his affections for her. Skye sees him as someone who wants to protect everyone more than anything so she is surprised when Ward asks her to officiate their relationship as romantic. Skye is hesitant but as he further opens up to her with the truth about how his older brother forced him to abuse his little brother, she is inclined to want to explore the relationship. But then spoilers happen and well, yeah. Maybe not so much anymore.
Fitz, the other guy who used to have something of a crush on her, and Simmons are the young scientist duo of the team. Again, her relationship with was quite rocky but she was able to warm up to Fitz-Simmons much more quickly than with anyone else. Partially because they're much closer to her in age and partially because they're all nerds of the same feather (though Fitz and Simmons are infinitely more 'educated') which gives them room to over a variety of topics. When Skye chooses Miles over the team, Fitz is the only one to show her forgiveness. And while Simmons is also a devout rule-follower, Skye is able to get her in on her 'bad girl shenanigans' (which leads to a pretty hilarious meltdown on Simmons' end). The three of them have a much more lighthearted dynamic than Skye does with many of the older members although Skye is still jealous of their cool 3D hologram table and she'd argue that she's not that bad at her British accents, mate.
May like Ward is a member she has an overly hard time bonding with. May's emotionless doesn't gel with Skye's... everything but that's only because Skye knows nothing about her other than that she doesn't like to be called 'The Calvary'. As one of two members that lack vulnerability by overcompensating with professionalism, Skye makes an effort to learn of May's past. And while May often shoots her down with the few words that ever come out her mouth, it's shown that May has immense trust in her skills and that she cares enough to beat on Quinn for her.
Overall, everyone eventually comes to care for her but it's the person who always cared for her that Skye considers to be the most important person in her life. Coulson took a chance where no one else had in a long time and she sees him as the father figure she's never had. Skye doesn't have the same blind faith in S.H.I.E.L.D. that Coulson does but she puts her blind faith in him. While their interests conflict at times, Skye knows that Coulson will do what's best for the team and not always what S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol tells him to. He looks out for her, he protects her and he's willingly to do all that he can for her even when everyone tells him otherwise. Having someone like that to rely on no matter what is something Skye treasures more than anything so she's the most dreadful of his reaction when her loyalties come into question and the most desperate to rescue him when he's in danger.
Everyone on the team means something to her and Skye proves her worth with every passing mission. Other than being an impressive hacker, Coulson notes that she can understand people just as well and when he goes missing, she is able to find him with all the skills that she's been taught. Skye was never an essential member, at least, not at first but she has been improving and sharpening her skills. She may not be the best fighter or engineer on the Bus but she's the most personable and eager to learn which is essential in itself.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations:
Skye is naturally gifted in computer sciences despite having dropped out of high school. She understands the technical side of it able to create the necessary algorithms very quickly and hacking into and creating complicated encryptions in almost less than a minute. As The Rising Tide is made up of hacktivists, it can be inferred that she had the necessary skills to impress and become a part of them. In some regards, her computer skills have also been helpfully honed by ex-boyfriend Miles Lydon although Skye argues he doesn't get all the credit. Skye may not seem to be able to process overly scientific jargon or read large books with any haste, she seems to absorb information very well and that she can keep up with the nerdy talk if it's about computers.
SELF-DEFENSE ▎(SHE STOP SAYING "BANG!" WHEN SHE PULLS THE TRIGGER?)
She's a hacker not a fighter so while computers come easily to her, fighting and weapons do not. Initially, she was unable to fully recall upon the training required to disarm someone with a weapon but has since been able master all the steps required (as seen when she disarms and flips a police officer over shoulder). However, Skye is no expert martial artist still and has to quickly use her environment to her advantage in order to gain an upper hand. Skye has also shown an ability to use a gun despite having initially been confused as to the magazine release vs. safety release. She can now shoot somewhat accurately as despite missing an enemy guard with her first shot, she's able to shoot him directly in the head with the second. She has the basic downs but the basics will only get her so far against superpowers, expert fighters or even a gunshot.
0-8-4 ▎(HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF AN '0-8-4' BEING A PERSON?)
Skye's origins as an 0-8-4 have not been elaborated thus far in the series. When she asks Fitz about it, he tells her that he's learned about a variety of objects being of unidentified origin (although a person would be the first he's ever heard of it) and the other trait they seem to all have in common is that they're dangerous. Skye has shown no signs or obvious clues as to what her abilities as an 0-8-4 may entail but it is safe to assume that whatever may be dangerous about her has been laying dormant for an overly long time.
Inventory:
01 ▎NIGHT-NIGHT GUN (PISTOL VER.)
01 ▎OUTFIT
01 ▎SD CARD
Appearance:
 ( chloe bennet as skye ) | For a hobo, Skye is a lot more put together than one would expect. Her hair is a lusciously long brown, her wardrobe seems hip and she's got perfect make-up on all the time. No one seems to notice the discrepancy or ask any questions so it's safe to assume that either homeless people look that in good in the MCU or she's got mad van level beautifying skills and is used to making herself look better with less. Furthermore, many characters have described Skye as "attractive" (though everyone in Coulson's team is described that way), "beautiful" (even though Grant was under fake truth serum at the time so he could have been lying but lbr, it's unlikely) and a "pretty face". Meaning that despite being broke, she's always looking fly. |
AU Clarification: --
S A M P L E S
Log Sample:
Skye throws her first against his face, hard. Or at least, what she creatively visualizes as Ian Quinn's face superimposed onto her punching bag. Skye's never hit a guy square in the face before but she figures it'll be a hell of a lot more satisfying when the billionaire douchebag is right in front of her. She swings with her other hand as the anger of getting shot at still burns within her. She was stupid to go into that villa alone, to think she could handle a bunch of guards as well as him but... she almost did. If it hadn’t been for Mike... she lowers her fists slightly as she recalls that broken look on his face. Those burns? Those artificial limb? That ticking time bomb of an eye and having to follow orders or the price was death? Skye finds herself shivering. She couldn't endure that pain herself but for Mike that isn't an option. She has to wonder if that kind of live is even worth living? She wonders briefly if he'd be okay if he never met her. If she hadn't intersected Mike in that café, he would have died but... was that better?
"No," she tells herself because she can’t let herself accept that. Mike's a father, he has a son who depends on him and if he died who would take care of him?
Raising her boxing gloves again; she readies herself for round two with Mr. Punching Bag. She has no face for "The Clairvoyant" but whoever it was that directed Quinn to pull the trigger is going to pray they never met her. The first punch she throws, she dedicates to Mike; another punch to blame the Clairvoyant for the Centipede project and everyone else that died for it and one for herself because she never plans on letting herself to be that vulnerable in their presence again. Her arms start to ache and tire by how unnecessarily hard she's training but the reminders of her experience only furthers her drive. She got lucky by being brought onto this spaceship and she's not going to waste any second of her time.
Although She might not be traveling on the Bus anymore and she might not be thrown into a mission anytime soon, she still needs to be ready for whatever happens. She never imagined getting abducted by aliens so really, she needs to better prepare herself. She needs to be able to depend on herself and be her own specialist, not just spunky stowaway that simply rides on everyone else's coattails. Ward's pointers echo in her head, keeping her arm up as she also tries to mentally review his rundown on how to handle a firearm because guess what she's planning doing after this? It's almost funny how far she's come, how she used to hate everything that had anything to do with S.H.I.E.L.D. but now finds herself doing her best to be accepted by them.
After a while, she gives herself a break and a chance to rehydrate. As great as her newfound work ethic is, she really can't let herself get used to the cushy space life either. Sure, it's pretty sweet to finally be on a real alien spaceship and the bonus fact that there happens to be one very dreamy, way better in real life Asgardian on board plus all lot of other smokin' hot Avengers to feast her eyes on... what she's learned by now is that she can't get too comfortable. Although she knows its reckless to always push forward, Skye's still Skye and curious by nature. She needs to figure out exactly why she's even here in the first place. Before she found the gym, she found another place that triggered an ominous "access denied" from her device. Training all the time isn't exactly what Skye's known for but sticking her nose in where it doesn’t belong?
She smiles at the thought.
Comms Sample:
[ what up, tq. it's skye with updates on the weather! no, it's not. it's just skye with questions. the camera features her as she offers a little wave to seem friendly before diving straight into it. ]
Okay, so has anyone tried using these so-called "devices" we have to like hack things? I mean, like, really hack them? Because I've been trying for over an hour and my computer whisperer skills... [ she makes an explosion sound. ] total bust. And I know, I know, it probably has to do with the fact that it's not a computer for one thing and that we're on a freakin' spaceship for another which by the way? Still not over it... [ she frowns before cracking a huge smile. ] 'cause [ time for her obligatory couldn't contain herself moment because she squeals! loudly! excited space virgin, right here. ] it's so awesome!
But ahem, come on guys. Let's focus. This? [ she holds the device but since it's also the camera, viewers may find themselves getting motion sickness before she focuses it back to her face. ] It's basically just modeled after a smartphone, right? Out here, it should be totally outdated it's like... the brick phone of space. I should be able to do this with my eyes shut and believe me I have done that plenty times before. Whoever kidnapped us... [ her tone turns unusually flat and serious. ] they're really something.
[ and she pauses, despite her excitement, she's still not completely amused by the idea of being taken without permission and the fact that the people responsible haven't revealed themselves to her. she's not a fan of secrets and unlike s.h.i.e.l.d. they don't have seemingly good intentions here. but she realizes she's been quiet a little too long and chirps back up again. ]
... So, anyone wanna offer to help a girl out with her intergalactic IT problem? [ then in sing-song: ] You'll be my new best friend. Or well, I just want to know if anyone's had any luck getting some real info out of these things and in return... I will try figuring that out too. [ she's still a newbie but the best friend offer still stands. ] To be continued.